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The Body Sect's strength was beyond doubt.
Their martial souls originated from within themselves, refined to perfection. Every disciple was exceptional among their peers—and Long Aotian, with his Silver-rank Second Awakening of his Body martial soul, was terrifyingly powerful.
Yet their opponents were Huo Yuhao—a youth blessed by fate, repeatedly stumbling upon extraordinary opportunities—and Wang Dong'er, who had absorbed the essence of three hundred-thousand-year spirit bones, skyrocketing her strength and wielding a hundred-thousand-year soul ring of her own.
This battle was doomed to be brutal from the start.
Huo Yuhao, with his enigmatic spiritual control, the overwhelming might of Ultimate Ice, and the eerie power of his necromantic semi-dimensional realm, repeatedly turned the tide. He clashed with Long Aotian in a pinnacle confrontation.
Wang Dong'er's Light Goddess Butterfly True Body martial soul was dazzling and formidable. The mere hint of her hundred-thousand-year soul ring's power stunned the entire arena.
But the Body Sect's other members were no pushovers. Tang Sect's Xu Sanshi, Bei Bei, He Caitou, Jiang Nannan, and Xiao Xiao fought desperately to hold back their fierce assaults, pushing themselves to the brink.
On the arena, blood splattered as soul skills collided with deafening roars.
Finally, when Huo Yuhao barely managed to knock Long Aotian—a warrior equally at the end of his tether—off the platform with a perilously close spiritual shockwave combined with Wang Dong'er's Butterfly God Slash, the Tang Sect secured victory at a terrible cost.
Only Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er remained standing, their profound foundations and strength carrying them through. Xu Sanshi's shield shattered, leaving him grievously wounded; Bei Bei's thunderous power depleted, rendering him unconscious; He Caitou's soul devices lay ruined, his body exhausted; Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao were covered in wounds, their soul power drained.
The Tang Sect advanced to the semifinals with five members severely injured!
Thus, the final four teams of this year's tournament were confirmed:
Shrek Academy, Holy Spirit Sect, Natural Sect, Tang Sect.
Per the schedule, the semifinal matchups would be:
Top half: Shrek Academy vs. Holy Spirit Sect
Bottom half: Natural Sect vs. Tang Sect
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After the match, in the Tang Sect's rest area.
The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er, ignoring their own vast exhaustion, busied themselves treating their companions' injuries and administering medicinal pills.
Though Bei Bei and the others were out of mortal danger, they'd be incapable of fighting for the foreseeable future.
"Yuhao, your injuries…" Wang Dong'er looked at Huo Yuhao's pale face and the internal turbulence he forcibly suppressed. Her heart ached. In his brutal clash with Long Aotian, Huo Yuhao's old wounds had reopened, and new ones formed.
"I'm fine. Just need to meditate." Huo Yuhao shook his head, his brow furrowed. His worries extended beyond his companions' injuries—to the upcoming semifinal.
"Natural Sect… unfathomable. In our current state…" He didn't finish, but everyone understood. Facing the Natural Sect—with its quasi-demigod guardian and members whose strength and strangeness were equally formidable—the Tang Sect's chances were slim.
"We need to seek healing. Otherwise, we won't make the match."
Huo Yuhao's eyes gleamed with resolve: "We must recover quickly. The Natural Sect… will be our strongest opponent yet."
He gazed out the window. Natural Sect's distant rest area seemed shrouded in mist.
"No matter what, the Tang Sect's journey cannot end here."
---
Meanwhile, Shrek Academy prepared for their imminent, life-or-death battle against the Holy Spirit Sect.
Later, after secretly meeting Princesses Xu Jiujiu and Wei Na, Huo Yuhao's mood turned grim.
Both princesses brought shockingly consistent intelligence: elite legions stationed around Mingdu were secretly and frequently mobilizing. Massive soul devices were being deployed to forward positions.
All signs pointed to Xu Tianran's likely plan: using this tournament to trap all non-Sun Moon participating teams—and the powerful figures possibly accompanying them—annihilating them once and for all.
This news was like ice water dousing Huo Yuhao's head, chilling him to the bone.
He dared not delay. Immediately, through secret channels, he shared this crucial intelligence with Natural Sect—the faction whose overt strength was currently the greatest, backed by that mysterious "Limit Douluo."
In his view, facing such peril, maintaining good relations with Natural Sect and leveraging their power was vital.
The reply he received was a brief message from Gu La, relayed through a clone:
"I know. If I wish to take people away, the Sun Moon Empire has no right to stop me."
The tone was calm yet carried unparalleled confidence and arrogance—and a hint of… impatience?
As if saying, 'Is this trivial matter worth disturbing me?'
Huo Yuhao even sensed an unspoken threat: if pushed too far, Gu La might truly summon unimaginable forces to erase the entire Mingdu from the map.
This assurance brought Huo Yuhao a measure of calm amidst his unease.
---
The next day, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament semifinals officially began.
The first match was the focal point of all attention—Shrek Academy vs. Holy Spirit Sect!
For Shrek Academy, Gu La had no intention of letting other members fight.
Facing evil soul masters with bizarre, lethal techniques, even the most talented students would be vulnerable to ambushes due to their lack of experience—unnecessary casualties he wouldn't allow.
He decided to crush the Holy Spirit Sect single-handedly!
He was the first to step onto the arena.
On the Holy Spirit Sect's side, the atmosphere was oppressive and eerie. Fierce debates seemed to rage internally over who would be sent to their death.
Facing Gu La—a Soul Saint wielding an Angel martial soul with Ultimate Sacred attributes, a natural counter to evil soul masters—ascending the stage was nearly suicide.
But they couldn't forfeit. Behind them, Sect Leader Zhongli Wu watched coldly. Anyone showing cowardice before battle would face an even worse fate upon returning.
Finally, a short, snake-like youth with green-glowing eyes reluctantly floated onto the stage.
His name was Ji Li. His martial soul was the extremely evil Braineater—a horrifying entity that used a long tongue as a weapon to suck out victims' brain matter. Though young in appearance, his Level 64 Soul Emperor cultivation hinted at countless lives he'd devoured.
"Begin!"
Ji Li activated martial soul attachment instantly. His black robe tore, revealing a body covered in gray-blue scales and ugly claws. A crimson tongue lashed out like a whip toward Gu La.
Gu La couldn't be bothered with words. He didn't even move to attack personally.
With a thought, his Holy Solar Angel spirit materialized, wielding a sword of holy flame to meet Ji Li.
A six-ring evil soul master offered little growth to Gu La's main body. Perfect for his spirit's "meal"—he looked forward to someday boasting orange-gold soul rings.
Supported by Gu La's pure soul power, the Holy Solar Angel spirit could unleash power rivaling a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Facing an evil Soul Emperor completely countered by his attributes? It was utter domination.
First slash—severed that disgusting tongue!
Second slash—shattered those grotesque claws!
Third slash—pierced the heart. Sacred flames instantly purified him from within!
A stream of pure sacred energy fed back into the spirit, quickly absorbed. Its aura strengthened slightly.
First match—over. Gu La hadn't moved an inch. With only his martial soul, he'd effortlessly won.
The Holy Spirit Sect sent their second fighter—Wang Xiaolei, a grim-faced man whose martial soul was a Witch Demon.
He activated soul skills. Skeletal hands erupted from the ground, trying to seize Gu La and the angel spirit—but were easily purified by Ultimate Light.
He used his second skill, "Wailing Frost," attempting to weaken the holy flames with resentment-charged cold. Futile.
The angel spirit activated the Holy Radiance Domain, purifying all filth.
Wang Xiaolei desperately unleashed "Death Whip"—a technique refined from over a thousand resentful souls, capable of killing Soul Saints. But the angel spirit soul grasped it directly, continuously purifying it.
He continued with powerful domain skills like "Sea of Undeath" and "Death Withering," but before absolute light and holiness, they melted like snow under a blazing sun. Finally, he and his domain were burned to ash.
Referee Zheng Zhan watched speechlessly. He hadn't even gotten a chance to intervene.
The third fighter was Tang Ya.
Seeing her hollow eyes and the two yellow, two purple, and three black soul rings rising beneath her feet, Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao in the Tang Sect area clenched their fists, hearts pounding with tension and hope.
Gu La remembered his deal with Bei Bei. He recalled the angel spirit and prepared to act personally.
The moment the match bell rang, Gu La's figure vanished like a ghost—reappearing behind Tang Ya.
She didn't even react. Gu La struck precisely with a hand chop, infusing it with a gentle spiritual shockwave that instantly knocked her unconscious.
Simultaneously, a faint glow from his foot activated a short-distance spatial teleportation array. It sent the unconscious Tang Ya directly to the Tang Sect's rest area—landing at Bei Bei's feet.
Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao jumped in shock, then surged with joy!
Huo Yuhao reacted instantly. Using his simulating soul skill, he distorted light to hide Tang Ya's form.
They quickly carried her away, handing her to Zhang Lexuan. "Take her immediately to Elder Xuan. Find a way to heal her."
"What did you do to our Holy Maiden?!" Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng roared in shock and fury, charging onto the arena to glare at Gu La.
Gu La shrugged casually: "Killed her."
"Do you think I'm blind? She was clearly teleported away!"
Zhang Peng seethed. Tang Ya's Devouring martial soul had immense potential—she was the Holy Spirit Cult's carefully cultivated Holy Maiden. To lose her right under his nose!
Referee Zheng Zhan stepped forward: "During matches, instructors are forbidden from interfering!"
Zhang Peng glared icily at Zheng Zhan. The murderous intent in his gaze made Zheng Zhan's heart chill, but he finally suppressed his rage and retreated from the arena.
Gu La ignored him, sweeping his gaze over the remaining Holy Spirit Sect members. His voice carried undeniable authority: "Begin the team battle. I won't allow filth like you to roam this world a moment longer."
The Holy Spirit Sect welcomed this. Their remaining four members—Lu Genggeng, Yan Feng, Tang Dai, Gu Yu—leaped onto the arena simultaneously.
They'd fight four against one. They refused to believe Gu La could handle all four at once.
"Shrek Academy confirms only one participant for the team battle?" Zheng Zhan verified again.
"Yes. Begin." Gu La nodded calmly.
"Begin!"
The four evil soul masters held nothing back, unleashing full power instantly.
Yan Feng directly activated Bone Dragon True Body. A massive skeletal dragon, radiating death, lunged forward.
Lu Genggeng transformed into a giant Abomination, swinging corrosive chains and pus-filled arms.
Tang Dai's Skeletal King swung a massive blade; Gu Yu waved a bone staff as necromantic spells flickered—strengthening allies, weakening Gu La.
Facing four evil soul masters' full assault, Gu La's eyes finally showed seriousness. He'd waited for the team battle—to fight without restraint.
His hundred-thousand-year soul ring blazed with blinding light!
Instantly, fire and light elements across the entire arena—even the wider world—surged toward the holy sword in his hand like subjects bowing to a king.
The air temperature soared. Space itself warped under this overwhelming energy.
Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Skill—Solar Nuclear Fusion Explosion!
To eradicate evil thoroughly, he charged for a brief three seconds. But for Gu La, three seconds was enough.
He swung the holy sword, effortlessly blocking Yan Feng's bone dragon charge. A kick sent the massive Abomination and Skeletal King flying, trapping all four at the arena's center.
Three seconds—were up!
An indescribable white light, carrying world-destroying energy, erupted from Gu La's center.
Like a miniature sun rising from the earth! Holy flames devoured the entire stage. That ultimate light and heat purified all filth and darkness into fundamental particles.
The light faded.
The arena stood empty. Yan Feng, Lu Genggeng, Tang Dai, Gu Yu—four powerful evil soul masters, their martial souls, their soul devices—left no trace. As if they'd never existed.
Referee Zheng Zhan stared at the empty stage, swallowing hard before announcing hoarsely: "T…team battle—Shrek Academy wins. Total match victory—Shrek Academy advances to the finals!"
The audience sat in stunned silence.
Though not the first time witnessing Gu La's hundred-thousand-year soul skill, this display's shock surpassed all before.
Four powerful evil soul masters—one even having activated True Body—annihilated in a single strike without resistance!
The absolute attribute suppression and vast power gap were laid bare.
On the Holy Spirit Sect side, Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng's face turned ashen. He shot Gu La a frigid glare, then swiftly left with several terrified reserve members, not looking back.
High above, Zhongli Wu's face beneath his black robe darkened terribly. Losing multiple core disciples—including a Soul Saint—and even the Holy Maiden, the Holy Spirit Cult had suffered heavy losses.
"This child… must not be allowed to live!"
Murderous intent boiled in his heart. He made his decision. No matter the cost, Gu La—this thorn in their side—had to be eradicated completely before or after the tournament's end.
He could not be given any more time or space to grow. Otherwise, he would inevitably become the Holy Spirit Cult's—and the entire plan's—greatest obstacle!
Shrek Academy, after Gu La's solo annihilation of the Holy Spirit Sect, advanced powerfully to the finals! Meanwhile, the other semifinal—Natural Sect versus the Tang Sect—was about to begin.
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